9 Merengue Fusion Songs from The ’90s That Are Still Lit

During the 1990s emerged a fun, energetic and super danceable genre of music, known as merenhouse/merenrap. Originating in New York by artists from the Dominican Republic, it is a mix that includes merengue, hip-hop, house, dancehall, and reggae. Major acts in this genre include Proyecto Uno (credited with starting the genre), Fulanito, Sandy Y Papo, and Los Illegales. At the same time, DLG, or Dark Latin Groove (Dominican and Puerto Rican), were remixing the salsa sound with reggae, house, hip hop, and more.

This was the music that made you run to the dance floor at quinceneras and weddings, and turn up in the club. I literally couldn’t not dance to it while writing this article. So, for this week’s #TBT, let’s take a walk down memory lane with nine merenhouse/merenrap/salsa fusion songs from the ’90s (click the link below for our Spotify playlist!).

Colombian-American Alex Szoenyi is the Culture + History Editor of HipLatina. She is a writer; poet; speaker; and style, pop culture, and Latinx expert, who has work published in over 25 publications, including the San Francisco Examiner, BoldLatina, SF Weekly, and VIVA Lifestyle and Travel. She aims to uncover and share the history, narratives, accomplishments, and achievements...